Thursday, October 23, 2008

Straight Outta Brooklyn

Every Thursday we head to Brooklyn for the day. F&L have what passes for a school day - they spend the day with five other children and a variety of teachers learning all sorts of things: Japanese, painting, games, writing, zoology, cooking. They were suspicious at first of this homeschooling school but it seems to be working out quite nicely.

At the same time, I have a nice little chunk of time to do with what I please. Mostly what pleases me is to spend some time at my Zen Center, which is right near by. This isn't a time for zazen but time to simply help out around the place with whatever needs doing. One day I clean bathrooms, the next time I mend some cushions that have split open, sometimes I make lunch. It hardly matters what I do. I am just happy to be allowed to spend some time there, among people who share an interest and commitment to the dharma. Plus, it has been quite fascinating to be around my teacher in his everyday life. Did I see him talking on the phone and typing on the computer at the same time? Yes I did. Take that to your zafu and sit on it!

Last week, as we drove down Flatbush Avenue heading for our day of activities, I happened to glance over and noticed something:

Yes! Etsy has it's headquarters right off Flatbush! All this time, there it is, so close by...